In the fifth part of a series looking back at what has been a memorable season, Mullet and HarryfromBath, with the help of some opposition supporters, reflect on a month when we maintained the momentum from their excellent November.

The festive fixtures came at Town like Forrest Gump - thick and fast. After the euphoria of the boy Hunt's heroics at Charlton, we were back at home settling in to flirtations at second place and nurturing desires of getting on top.

First up in the Christmas run-in were dirty Leeds. A club coloured with Italian influence, they as ever had all the class and charm of a bunga bunga party. Town were happy to oblige and nailed them.

Christophe Berra's return from suspension moved Chambo across and Jonny Parr down to the bench as Town remained otherwise unchanged and unrelenting.

Unlike the unstoppable run of November, Town stumbled as Leeds stabbed a lead sloppily early doors. But after 12 minutes it was 12 goals for the Irish Pelé. A superb header yet again from the captain's rum cross; spicy.

A rare moment for Town as David McGoldrick smashed home a penalty. There was nothing unlucky about the next one as Waterford's finest export made it 13 for the season, 'megging the keeper with anything but schoolboy skills.

It took just three minutes of the second half for Town to make it four and kill all hope for Yorkshire's biggest club. Those present when we sent them down a few years ago will know how fond they are of chucking money away. Town rammed the point home, taking all three with most of the second half to go as set pieces set us apart again.

Tommy Smith leapt and glanced with deadly accuracy, Berra claimed the final touch. Fuelling mass debate across the Internet that evening, before the Scotland international was awarded the goal officially - capping Town's most rampant victory in a while. It'd be unkind to mention really that four goals flattered Leeds immensely - double wouldn't have been the stuff of computer games.

“No defence for our defence.” The focus of Whites’ post-match analysis was squarely on their defending. “Ipswich, like with all McCarthy teams, like to get the ball forward as quickly as possible”, “Our defence always looked vulnerable to quick balls into the middle.”

“If Leeds take the lead, it is a coin-toss as to whether we will win or lose. Ipswich are consistent, the teams that finish at the top are consistently picking up points. We are capable of picking up points but equally capable of throwing them away.”

“Ipswich had their game plan of more a physical approach and putting the ball high into the box as often as possible”, “Ipswich looked like they never got out of second gear in the second half.”

“When that fourth goal went in it killed us. Several of the team went off the boil and passes started going astray, we were robbed too easily”, “Despite a bright early start, Ipswich did to us what we did to Derby [in a 2-0 win a week earlier]. A few weren't at their best today but give Ipswich credit. They just played better than us.”

Next up a trip to the newly re-branded Macron Stadium to face another old sparring partner, Bolton.

Teddy came back to the starting line-up, a youthful contrast to the sickly Stephen Hunt who missed out. Despite the new name, the same old rubbish persisted as Bolton danced to a familiar tune under Lennon. An optimistic away end sat in the soulless equivalent of football hell as it froze over. Town did little to set the place alight.

Dropping to fourth place after a 0-0 draw there was little to say about a game where Town looked OK, but never really got going. We neither looked ready to continue our ground-breaking form nor moved the ball around too often with the flair of a side with their tails up.

Two golden chances fell to Jay Tabb who was unlucky to have egg on his face both times. Denied by the need for another touch, and the excellent Andy Lonergan getting one to keep it all square. All eyes were now on bouncing back into automatic spots straight away.

“I will happily settle for a point we didn't really deserve in the end. It was a very poor game from which we're pretty fortunate to come away with a point, mainly thanks to some superb goalkeeping from Lonners on at least four occasions.”

Although there was some criticism of the quality of the game, Trotters were happy to emerge with a point against impressive visitors.

“Ipswich were impressive, very solid organised and hard-working and with a couple of dangerous frontmen denied by our excellent keeper. They will win plenty away playing like that. They remind me of Cardiff when they won the league”, “We couldn't find a pass around an Ipswich team who worked hard to press us and keep their shape.”

“McCarthy's a wily old fox and has obviously done his homework. High energy game in parts, but far too much head tennis and casual passing (how many did they intercept?). McGoldrick was a constant threat and the type of player we need here.”

Third game, far from lucky for Town as yet another dominant display ensued against Middlesbrough. Tyrone Mings was below Parr in the pecking order. His display at Bolton contrasted dramatically with fellow starlet Bishop who shone in the greyness of Lancashire.

Town needed 25 minutes of chances before taking the lead. Jay Tabb fed McGoldrick from the left, the little wizard had his shot at glory waved away by the keeper's toe, only for Murphy to spell out Town's intentions as he found the net for a 14th time this season.

Town should have had a second when for the second time the clumsy Kenneth Omeruo committed a bookable offence - this time in the box. Bafflingly a penalty again eluded Town as McGoldrick went into the book. One of the most noteworthy injustices of the season.

Boro had been equally impressive thanks to the previously unknown scoring prowess of midfielder Grant Leadbitter but today they laboured throughout the first half whilst Town made their fellow promotion candidates look like almost-rans.

Again injury time would yield riches for Town in the first half. The much loved Tabb would ask the biggest question of Boro's hulking defence.

One of the mightiest leaps from the Portman Road turf saw the diminutive man beat his marker to crash home a second goal with a wonderful header. Tabb “popped up at the back post, following more excellent intricacies in the corner and Bishop placed something of the divine on to all 67" of Tabb in full flight it was well deserved”.

Two goals before half-time and no more was all Town needed. The last present before Christmas had most Town fans rapt and dreaming of the future. A neutral would easily pull many positives from a display that saw Town overcome a very good side, the more partisan would rightly be charged by such electrifying stuff from Town this December.

“Quote me on this at the end of the season. Ipswich won’t finish in the top six.” A small minority of Boro fans were critical of us, but the majority were quick to acknowledge that they were beaten fair and square.

“We were shocking and would have got beaten by just about all the teams in the Championship playing like that”, “They deserved to beat us. There is no denying that.”

“Ipswich weren’t as good a footballing side as a lot of people have been saying. They are extremely effective at what they do. They have no top players but what they are full of hard workers. They are epitomised by Jay Tabb, a very ordinary player but man he is a handful, like a little fly you can't get rid of.”

“Ipswich were everything we weren't, first to the initial ball, first to the second ball and a danger up front. I could go on but you get the idea. It says everything about us that the smallest player on the pitch got a free header for their second and that their keeper didn't have a save to make all game.”

“They pressed us high and hard which turned us to the long ball. The one game we cannot play. Fair play to Ipswich, I think a lot underestimated them but they were extremely well organised. Exactly what McCarthy gives you and we never had an answer.”

“Anyway, good luck to all the Ipswich fans. It would be good to see you join us in promotion. You were a good footballing team. There is no shame when the other team played like they did”, “I do think Aitor Karanka is good enough to learn and improve from this setback.”

Turkey gobbled and Town had a jaunt down the A12 to Brentford. An Irish bar for many beforehand and barely seconds after kick-off another stout moment of pure genius.

Town spread out and pinned the hosts back from the kick-off and fashioned a lovely opener for the quickest goal of the season to boot. You guessed it, Murphy! My goodness. Boxing Day was far from done and Town had the home side on their heels and punch-drunk.

Fluid in the middle, Brentford were soon washed out by Town's killer touch. Murphy picked a Norwegian punt up just inside the opposition half, he sailed passed the weak defenders and went all the way through. A shimmy to the left, shoulder dropping right, it's two.

Half-time was a long way away when Ando studded home a third with Suffolkian punchy class stamped all over Brentford. Previously unbeaten at home, they were staggering in the wake of an almost demonic Town. Possession, passing, play across the park had us going in at half-time well up in front.

Town were steaming to the top of league like all the balti pies in West London, a slice of magic after years of muck.

The second half continued with Town untroubled by anything Brentford could throw at us. It took a long time and a hopeful approach to change that.

Brentford clawed one back before Smith produced a lightning bolt to secure a fourth Ipswich goal for the second time this month. Taking the second phase of a knocked down corner, his second touch was to rifle home with venom and kill off the Bees.

A late consolation will have made the manner of Town's win no easier to bear. 4-2 and there was only one place Town and their fans could be, top (for the time being at least, no one else kicked off until 3pm).

“Ipswich had a game plan and it worked wonderfully. I have already rated Mick McCarthy as a manager. He has got a well-drilled side, the best team I have seen this season”, “We continually shot ourselves in the foot, our defensive frailties were shown up and our naivety exposed.”

“Ipswich stopped us playing by squeezing the middle of the park, hit us on the break and they were clinical in front of goal. It is not the most expansive of tactics but they do it very well so no surprise that they have had such a good run”, “We created hardly any decent chances.”

“A few teams have tried to play against us as Ipswich did today. The difference is that they were good enough to do it. Most goals come from errors, they forced us into ours. In my mind the best team I have seen by a long way this season”, “Mick McCarthy certainly did his homework.”

“They closed us down quickly at the back. We looked lazy and slow pretty much all over the pitch”, “We couldn't cope with their strong forwards who rarely gave a ball away and were hard to knock off the ball”, “All things being equal I expect Ipswich to be top six at least by May, if not top two.”

A week passed and a strong month yet again for Town ended at home with yet another comfortable win. The Reds who had been the victim of a last gasp recovery by the Blues at their place were smothered into defeat by ruthless and indomitable McCarthyism.

Town took well over half an hour to score. What was becoming a familiar sight this month came in familiar fashion for the week leading up to 2015. It was a cakewalk rather than catwalk moment. Smith hooking home the resultant loose ball from a corner kick to put Ipswich ahead.

The lead remained intact despite Charlton's better, brighter start to the second half. It was soon extended as McGoldrick conspired to assist his partner by going for goal himself. His header again failing to find the net, Murphy made right what went wrong as he had last time Town were at home. It was the 17th strike of the season for the Irishman.

McGoldrick would eventually get what he deserved as the clock was running out and the year winding down. His first from open play since the opening day of November, the #10's seventh was another slice of heaven thanks to the reciprocity of Murphy who allowed him to flick past the keeper from a simple pass.

The year ended and the season was pretty much halfway through with Town in the form of many fans' young lives. It'd been a long time since Town's play-off hopes had been little more than hubris or mocking humour. Right here, right now we had more than enough reasons to believe. As we left the feasting and commemoration of Christ's birth for 2014th time, God only knows where we'd be without Mick.

“Bleak”, “That was a pretty pathetic performance”, “We came against a side in confident red hot form.” Addicks were left licking their wounds in their post-match discussions. “Don't be fooled by the statistics. We were pretty dire tonight. Trust me, I was there”, “It was grim.”

“This was easy for Ipswich. They never needed to get out of second gear”, “Ipswich have the luxury of being able to play both football and also long ball when needed. Their front men are good in the air and on the deck.” “McGoldrick was a class above. He deserved a goal on his overall performance.”

Charlton fans were quick to praise our defending. “Mick McCarthy's carefully chosen centre-backs last night really were very, very good”, “The Town defenders dealt with almost everything like bread and butter”, “They defended in numbers and recovered as a team and in depth when losing possession.”

What a month, what an end to the year. This may well have been the best 31 days of the season. Town were flying far beyond the expectations of us and everybody else. With the transfer window set to open, we awaited more of the same and the promise of someone new. Next time, all change. For better and for worse, 'til then do us part.

2014/15 Championship Date Range: 1-AUG-2014 to 31-DEC-2014

Photo: Action Images

carlo88 added 12:54 - Jun 1 Not a fan of Leeds Harry?
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damnitfc added 13:08 - Jun 1 what a great month
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Bergholtblue added 14:31 - Jun 1 Not just the fact that we beat Middlesbrough and Brentford but the manner in which we did it had me believing it was our year. What went wrong? Looks like I'll have to wait until Season Review - January
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HarryfromBath added 14:41 - Jun 1 Carlo, the match summary was Mullet's - I went through their post-match threads to sum up their view. I can't say I have a specific grudge against the Whites, but have the scars of repeated painful memories from losing must win games at Elland Road.
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Raedwald_625 added 16:31 - Jun 1 We beat Middlesbrough and Mullet saw this as some sort of watershed. Now he thought other clubs would take note. I think he managed to suck in loads of TWTDs thumbs. But it was there to be seen that yes, it was a great result, yes Bishop was showing class but looking a bit closer hoof-ball/second ball was very much at the heart of our strategy. It fell apart after the Christmas period, but the writing was on the wall.

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oscarwhiting added 16:33 - Jun 1 stephen hunts reaction to the 4th goal vs leeds is hilarious. best month of the season no doubt
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britrim added 09:41 - Jun 5 “Ipswich have the luxury of being able to play both football and also long ball when needed. Their front men are good in the air and on the deck.'' I found this the most profound statement, unfortunately the loss of Joniesta and Didz and the resultant less effectiveness of Bish, meant for 2nd half of season long ball became the norm. Certainly though at this stage of the season we were the best team in the league, combining ability with the commitment of the team spirit, we could and should have made it, but even under the management of Joe, George and Sir Bob , many seasons have finished with the heartfelt 'what could have been'. Reasons??? and would like to hear yours but maybe 'too nice, sporting' , 'lack of depth', 'location on map to attract greater pool of players' ...... add yours ?

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